Six days backpacking in Mandalay, Hsipaw, and the ancient cities of Upper Myanmar: Amarapura, Sagaing, Innwa, and Mingun.

Just the thought of visiting a place called Mandalay already got me excited, the name seemed so exotic. There were a lot of places to visit in and around Mandalay that kept me busy for six days.

I spent my first day cycling around the main tourist spots at Mandalay city center, and then took off the next day for an overnight railway adventure to Hsipaw. When I came back, I spent two more days wandering around the ancient cities of Mingun, Amarapura, Sagaing, and Innwa.

Day 1

Night bus to Mandalay

Reference

• Moto = motorycle and driver for hire
• Trishaw = three wheeled cycle rickshaw / pedicab
• K = Myanmar kyat (MMK)

Pre-trip

• Make reservation and pay for bus tickets from hostel in Bagan – K15,000
• Request staff to make reservation for hostel in Mandalay
  • Very important to do during your entire stay in Myanmar since accommodation options are limited and they tend to be always fully booked.

Bagan to Mandalay Bus

• 3:45pm – Free pick-up transfer from hostel to new bus station in Nyaung-U
• Meal at New Bagan bus station
  • Chicken curry and rice
• 4pm – Departure from Bagan

• 4pm to 11pm – Bagan to Mandalay aircon bus (7 hours)
  • 1 dinner stop
• 11pm – Arrival at Mandalay bus terminal

Mandalay Bus Terminal to Mandalay City Center

• Ride shared pick-up truck to city center (10 minutes) – K3,000 per person

Hostel in Mandalay

• Check-in at Royal Guest House (No. 41 25th Street; phone: 0265697)
  • Aircon room with twin beds (Free breakfast and private TB) – US$20 per night
    • Shared room with another solo backpacker
  • Rooms were clean, spacious, and they had a place in the rooftop to hangout. Lots of good eating options nearby.

Sleep: Royal Guest House
Day expenses: US$10; K20,000 (estimate)

Day 2

• 10:20am – Brunch at side street stall (cor of 84th and 25th steets)
  • Chicken with rice – K800
• 12:30nn – Rent bicycle at shop across the street from Royal Guest House (25th street)
  • Bike rental – K1,500 (whole day)

Mandalay Bicycle Tour

• 1:00pm – Mandalay train station
• 1:15pm – Moat and fortress wall surrounding the Mandalay Royal Palace
  • Buy Mandalay to Hsipaw train ticket – US$8 (first class cabin)

• 2:15pm – Mandalay Royal Palace
  • Tourist entrance was located at the east gate.
  • Pay Mandalay Archaeological Zone admission fee – US$10 per person
    • Valid for one week (7 days)
    • Includes admission to tourist sites around Mandalay, Sagaing, Amarapura and Inwa. I was not asked to show the ticket elsewhere.

• 4:10pm – Mandalay Hill
  • Walk from the base of Mandalay Hill to the Sutaungpyei Pagoda temple at the summit (1 hour)
  • 5:30pm – Sunset at Sutaungpyei Pagoda temple
• 7:45pm – Dinner at Smile All 81 (81st street near corner 23rd st.)
  • Meals from K2,000  (large servings good for two)
  • Delicious food and friendly staff

Sleep: Royal Guest House
Day expenses: US$18; K7,000 (estimate)

Day 3 to 4

Hsipaw train journey

Day 4

Back in Mandalay

• 5:30pm – Arrival at Mandalay Bus Terminal
• Dinner at Mandalay  Bus Terminal
  • Fried rice with chicken (K1,500) + 1L bottled water (K300) – K1,800
• Ride moto to Mandalay city center – K2,000
  • Haggled from K3,000

• Check-in at Royal Guesthouse
  • Stayed at same room
• Wifi internet at NetCom (23rd street, a few doors away from Royal Guest House) – K500
• Eat at Happy All Mr. Bar @ 81 st. – K3,000
  • Chicken Marlar curry – K2,000
  • Lime jiuce – K1,000

• Exchange US$ to Kyats at travel agency near Royal Guest House (23rd st.)
  • Exchange rate- US$1 = K800

Sleep: Royal Guest House
Day Expenses: US$10; K14,600

Day 5

• Wake-up. Free breakfast at Royal GH
• Transfer to single fan room (shared TB) – US$9 per night

Mingun day tour

• Trishaw ride to Mayan Gyan Jetty (for Mingun ferries) at end of 26th street – K1,000
• Buy Mandalay to Mingun ferry ticket – K5,000 (roundtrip)

• 9:00am – Departure from Mandalay
• 9:00am to 10:20am – Mandalay to Mingun Ferry (1 hour and 20 minutes)
• 10:20am – Arrival in Mingun
  • Was not asked to pay Mingun-Sagaing Archaeological Zone admission ticket

• Mingun Walking Tour
  • Settawa Paya (Pagoda) at ferry landing
  • 10:25am – Giant Elephant statues
  • 11:05am – Hsinbyume Pagoda
  • 11:50am – Mingun Bell
  • 12:00nn – Mingun Pagoda
  • Lunch at side street stall
    • Chicken “adobo” with rice – K1,500

• 1pm – Departure from Mingun
• 1pm to 1:30pm – Mingun to Mandalay Ferry (30 minutes)
• 1:30pm – Arrival in Mandalay

• Pass by flower market and themed childrens park
• Moto from Mingun jetty to Royal Guest House – K1,000

Bicycle tour to Buddha and Shwe In Bin monastery

• Bike rental – K700 (half-day rental)
  • Asked for a discount since I was renting the bike for only a few hours
• 3:45pm – State Pariyatti Sasana University
  • Got lost cycling around Mandalay. Went inside a monk school, where a monk befriended me and showed me the way to Shwe In Bin.
• 4:00pm – Shwe In Bin (wooden teak) monastery

• 4:40pm – Maha Myat Muni Paya

• Internet at Netcom- K1,500
• Dinner at cheap place across the road
  • Fried rice + chicken – K1,500

Sleep: Royal Guest House
Day Expenses: US$8; K14,200 (estimate)

Day 6

• 7:15am – free breakfast
• Buy Mandalay to Yangon bus ticket at travel agency near Royal Guest House – K10,400

Ancient cities of Upper Myanmar tour

• Ride moto from Royal Guest House to roadside pick-up station along 29th street (less than 3 minutes) – K1,000

Amarapura: U-bein bridge

• Pick-up truck ride from Mandalay to Amarapura (15 minutes) – K200
  • Told driver and conductor to drop me off near the U-bein bridge
• 8:35am – Arrival in AmarapuraWalk to U-bein bridge (20 minutes to foot of bridge from main road)
  • Dropped off along the main road. U-bein bridge was still a long walk away.
• Explored a small part of the bridge, planned to come back in the late afternoon and walk the entire length.
• 9:55am – Walk back to main road
  • Was not asked to pay admission fee

Sagaing Hills

• Pick-up truck to Sagaing town center (15 minutes) – K300
  • Dropped off at the foot of the Ava (steel) Bridge

• Sagaing Hills moto tour – K3,000 round trip from Ava Bridge and back
  • 10:33am – Pon Nya Shin Pagoda – K300 camera fee
  • 11:05am – U Min Thonze Pagoda
  • 11:25am – Thidagu World Buddhist University
  • 11:51am – Kaung Mu Taw Pagoda
    • Moto driver requested additional K2,000 to take me to Kaung Mu Taw Pagoda

Innwa (Ava)

• Moto to Innwa then Amarapura – Additional K2,000
  • Total moto hire from Ava bridge to and around Sagaing Hills, Kaung Mu Taw Pagoda, to and around Innwa, then drop off at Amarapura – K7,000
• Innwa moto tour
  • 1:00pm – Mahar Aungmyebonsan Monastery
  • Lunch outside innwa monastery
    • Fried egg with rice – K1,000
    • Coffee – K200
  • 1:57pm – Lawka Tharahpu Pagoda

Sunset at U-bein bridge

• 2:47pm – Arrival at U-bein Bridge
• 4:30pm – Ride pick-up truck from Amarapura to Mandalay – K300

Mandalay tour continuation

• Ride moto to base of Mandalay Hill – K1,500
• Walk around sites near foot of Mandalay Hill
  • 5:20pm – Kyauktawgyi Pagoda
  • 5:38pm – Sandamuni Pagoda
  • 6:00pm – Atumashi Monastery
  • 6:05pm – Shwe Kyaung Monastery
  • 6:10pm – Dusk at Mandalay moat

• Moto to Smile All 81 restaurant – K1,500
• Dinner at Smile All 81
  • Pork with veggies, rice, cola – K3,100
• Internet at netcom – K1,000

• Check-out at Royal Guest House

Mandalay to Yangon night bus

• Ride Moto to Mandalay bus terminal – K3,000
• 9pm – Departure from Mandalay

• 9pm to 7am – Mandalay to Yangon Bus (10 hours)
  • 1 dinner stop and multiple bathroom stops
  • Seats only; No sleeper beds.

Sleep: Bus
Day expenses: K34,500

Budget and Expenses

Total expenses: US$162 (estimate)

• US$52 + K94,300 (US$110)

Daily budget estimate: US$32 per day

Date of travel: October 2012